Saturday, November 24, 2012

Faith: of great and lasting worth

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
(1 Peter 1:6-9 NIV)

To Christians who truly know suffering for their faith and the gospel Peter writes to the faithful in exile:
Why does God allow heir suffering?
The refining and genuine endurance of their faith.
Faith is of greater value than gold, than wealth, than success, than jobs, than relationships. All else will fade and come to an end but our faith is eternal and lasting.
For by faith we receive that great gift of God: salvation and life eternal. Which is held in heaven but we taste even now in the world if we live by Christ.

God I pray that you would increase my faith even by testing and hardship. For I hold many things of great value which will not last. But I want to focus on faith. Thank you for your blessings. I pray that you would strengthen me to rely on you alone and hope only in you and our home with you in heaven.
Amen

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